There are roughly 1,100 Waldorf schools in the world today. Proponents of Waldorf education boast that theirs is the fastest-growing independent school movement in the world. Many thousands of children attend Waldorf schools — where they are often subjected to covert religious indoctrination.

﻿Despite the religious nature of Waldorf education, efforts are increasing — in the United States and elsewhere — to secure taxpayer support for the schools.

Humanity faces bigger problems than the proliferation of Waldorf schools and the spread of Rudolf Steiner's mystical doctrines. Nonetheless, the Waldorf movement should alarm anyone who prizes rationality and abhors the clandestine indoctrination of children.

My name is Roger Rawlings. I attended a Waldorf school from second grade through high school. My mother was secretary to the headmaster at that school. Because I was in the school for so long, and because I occasionally questioned the headmaster, I gained some insights into the Waldorf movement's secret agenda. More to the point, in recent years I have conducted an extensive study of Anthroposophy and Waldorf education. This website is the result.

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There is nothing for sale at this site; there are no advertisements; I do not solicit anyone's financial support. I am not looking for money or applause. My purpose is simple: It is to tell you the truth about Waldorf schools.

Many Waldorf schools have proudly displayed the quotation that you see at the top of this page, implying that it summarizes their educational approach. The quotation certainly sounds good. Undoubtedly many Waldorf teachers and administrators take such statements seriously.

But what does the quotation really mean, in the context of Waldorf education? Explaining fully will take some time — in a sense, the rest of this website is devoted to providing a highly detailed explanation.

But for now, for starters, here is a glimpse:

The belief system underlying Waldorf schools is an occult religion that involves doctrines of evolution and reincarnation. Human beings evolve upward as they gain “knowledge of higher worlds” — that is, knowledge of the spiritual worlds above the ordinary plane of existence. To gain this knowledge firsthand, people must develop clairvoyance. Preparation for clairvoyance involves such things as heightened imagination and dream consciousness.

Waldorf schools aim to assist children on the path toward knowledge of the higher worlds. To this end, Waldorf teachers serve as missionaries or priests. [1] However, they generally do so secretively, believing that they possess "mystery wisdom" that other people cannot appreciate. According to Steiner, "outsiders" who should be told as little as possible include the parents of Waldorf students.

Anthroposophical doctrine teaches that humans are born and reborn on Earth many times as they reincarnate. Moreover, each person is born multiple times during each earthly life, as her/his various invisible bodies emerge (the etheric body, the astral body, and the ego body). [2] Waldorf teachers try to help their students incarnate properly, so that the children may fulfill their karmas and evolve to higher levels of spiritual attainment. Humans who evolve normally will stay abreast of the entire solar system as it evolves and reincarnates in ever loftier forms (Future Jupiter, Future Venus, and Future Vulcan). [3]

Returning to the quotation, above: There is only one correct “purpose and direction” in life: It is the spiritual evolutionary path laid out by Steiner. Individuals are encouraged to move upward on this path as “free human beings.” According to Steiner, freedom is the birthright of all real human beings (things are different for "abnormal" people who are not really human). According to Steiner, true freedom means willingly submitting to the intentions of the many good gods who stand over mankind. Of course, we also need to resist the evil gods, Steiner said. In practice, becoming truly free means giving up your liberty and accepting Steiner’s religious teachings. [4]

That’s it, in brief. I know it sounds bizarre, but that’s what Waldorf schools are all about: promoting the mystical doctrines of Anthroposophy.

As for the strange reference to people who aren't really human, you should know that for every Steiner quotation that sounds attractive, there are others that are the reverse. Here's one: Telling Waldorf teachers to conceal his doctrines from outsiders, Steiner said,"Imagine what people would say if they heard that we say there are people who are not human beings." [5] A world of sorrow can be found in such statements.

Don’t take my word for any of this. To penetrate to the truth about Waldorf education, scrutinize the quotations I provide throughout this website — the words spoken and written by Rudolf Steiner and his followers. Read as much of this material as you wish; buy and read some Anthroposophical publications; visit other websites [see "Links"]; and then draw your own conclusions.

[1] See "Schools as Churches". Not all Waldorf teachers are fully committed to, or fully understand, the Waldorf mission. Newly hired teachers may undergo a gradual process of indoctrination, a process that some may resist while others succumb. See the section titled "The Indoctrination of Teachers" on the page "Indoctrination".

[3] To pursue Steiner's cosmic narrative a bit further, see the section titled "The Creed" on the page "Here's the Answer".

[4] For more about the Anthroposophical conception of freedom, see "Freedom". For more about the many gods of Anthroposophy, see "Polytheism".

[5] Rudolf Steiner, FACULTY MEETINGS WITH RUDOLF STEINER (Anthroposophic Press, 1998), p. 650. Note that Steiner said this during a Waldorf faculty meeting. See "Faculty Meetings" and "Secrets". Steiner explained that many people who are not human are actually demons in disguise.

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[R.R., 2009.]

Waldorf students and faculty produce a lot of art, some of it in distinctive Waldorf styles, and much of it intended to have spiritual meaning or spiritual effects — although students and their parents are usually not fully informed about the schools' spiritual purposes. For more on such matters, see "Magical Arts", "Anthroposophical Art", "Clues", and "Spiritual Agenda". (Clicking on these titles will take you to these pages.)

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I have pointed out some problems with the quotation shown at the top of this page. Here is one more problem. Many proponents of Waldorf education attribute the quotation to Rudolf Steiner, and some Waldorf schools give it prominence in their promotional materials. But the statement actually was made by someone else: The words were written by Steiner's second wife, Marie Steiner. You will find the statement on p. 27 of THE NEW ART OF EDUCATION (Philosophical-Anthroposophical Publishing, 1928) — introduction by Marie Steiner.

I﻿ mention this because it reflects a difficulty confronting anyone who sets out to investigate Waldorf education. Much of the "information" provided by Waldorf schools is incomplete, misleading, or false. Sometimes the deception caused by such misinformation is minor. But in other cases, the deception can be great, fundamentally concealing the true nature of Waldorf beliefs and practices. Indeed, one of the chief complaints made against Waldorf schools is that they deceive students' parents about Rudolf Steiner, his teachings, and the real nature of Waldorf schooling. [See "Secrets", "Our Experience", "Cautionary Tales", and "Summing Up".]﻿

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I first pointed out the misattribution of the quotation, above, years ago. Subsequently, various Waldorf schools have changed their PR materials to credit Marie Steiner. This is heartening. It suggests that some Waldorf insiders may be taking heed, at least on minor matters of fact.

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Rudolf Steiner claimed to be clairvoyant. Many of his followers — including many Waldorf teachers — make the same claim for themselves.The problem is that clairvoyance is a delusion; it doesn't exist.

This knocks the props out from under Waldorf education. If Waldorf education is based on Anthroposophy (and it is), and if Anthroposophy depends on clairvoyance (and it does), and if no one is truly clairvoyant (and no one is), then there is no valid basis for Waldorf education.

This is a sculpture of the Sun God (Christ), with Ahriman, Lucifer, and a "rock being." The statue, which is attributed to Rudolf Steiner, stands in the Goetheanum, the worldwide Anthroposophical headquarters. See "Is Anthroposophy a Religion?﻿"

TOPICS

Here are some topics you may want to investigate. Clicking on the links will take you to the pages indicated. (Remember that the best way to begin most inquiries is to consult The Brief Waldorf / Steiner Encyclopedia.)

• “With the students, we should at least try to...make it clear that, for instance, an island like Great Britain swims in the sea and is held fast by the forces of the stars. In actuality, such islands do not sit directly upon a foundation; they swim and are held fast from outside." — Rudolf Steiner, FACULTY MEETINGS WITH RUDOLF STEINER (Anthroposophic Press, 1998), p. 607.

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• “[T]he continents swim ... All fixed land swims and the stars hold it in position.” — Ibid., p. 617.